Christiane Karg, Shelén Hughes, Reginald Mobley, John Brancy to Star in The Cleveland Orchestra’s 2025 Blossom Music Festival

The Cleveland Orchestra has announced its 2025 Blossom Music Festival. Here is a rundown of the vocal performances on offer. Osmo Vänskä will conduct “Carmina Burana” with Shelén Hughes, Reginald Mobley, and John Brancy as the soloists. Also on the program is Sibelius’ “En Saga.” Performance Date: July 12, 2025 Elim Chan will lead a performance of Ravel’s “Shéhéreazade” with soprano {…}

Jan 22, 2025

Cellia Costea, Dimitri Platanias, Marcelo Puente Headline ‘La Forza del Destino’ at Greek National Opera

The Greek National Opera will present “La Forza del Destino” for the first time in 27 years. The production by Rodula Gaitanou will set the famed Verdi opera in the early 20th century with references to the first two World Wars. “’La forza del destino’ is a story about an original sin, which perpetuates and defines the actions and choices {…}

Jan 22, 2025

Toledo Opera Partners with iHeart Media, Inc. for ‘Opera ‘Round Town’ Series

Toledo Opera has rebranded its outdoor series to “Opera ‘Round Town.” iHeart Media, Inc. will be the presenting sponsor for the series. The series features several community concerts across Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan, most of them showcasing the talents of Toledo Opera’s Resident Artists. In 2024, the series features performances at Wildwood Preserve Metro Park for three Wednesdays in {…}

Jan 22, 2025

Teodor Doré to Debut at Carnegie Hall

Pianist, composer, and artistic director Teodor Doré is set to make his Carnegie Hall debut on Jan. 29, 2025. The showcase, which will also feature soprano Anastasiya Roytman, among other instrumental soloists, will feature the works of Rachmaninoff. At the core of the program will be the first piano trio rendition of the Suite in D Minor and several transcriptions {…}

Jan 22, 2025

Berlin State Opera to Cut 2025-26 Production; Will Continue Hiring Stars Like Anna Netrebko

The Berlin State Opera has announced that it will cut a production from the 2025-26 season. In an interview, General Director Elisabeth Sobotka said there will be around 5 million euros for budget cuts. She said ” We will cancel a premiere, but that only affects the 25-26 season. We can’t cut anything in the current season, that would cause {…}

Jan 22, 2025

Philip Venables Joins OWL Artists Management

Philip Venables has joined OWL Artists Management. The composer is set to leave Ricordi and will join the new management team for the premiere of his new opera “We Are The Lucky Ones” at the Dutch National Opera. Additionally, Venables announced that he would be launching Opera Edition Ltd, his own publishing imprint March 1, 2025. Oliver Clarke will represent {…}

Jan 22, 2025

Mercedes Gancedo & Julius Drake to Perform Poulenc’s ‘La voix humaine’

(Photo credit: Lucas Sanchez) Soprano Mercedes Gancedo and pianist Julius Drake are set to present “La voix humaine,” by Francis Poulenc and Jean Cocteau. The rarely performed 40-minute, one-woman opera depicts a real-time phone conversation – the last of a heartbroken and desperate woman with her lover, who is leaving her for someone else. Marc Busquets provides stage direction. “La {…}

Jan 22, 2025

Konstantin Krimmel to Present Recital at Park Avenue Armory

Baritone Konstantin Krimmel is set to present a recital at Park Avenue Armory. Krimmel makes his North American recital debut with pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz in a program of lieder inspired by their recent album “Mythos.” The album includes music by Schubert and Loewe and a song cycle by Vaughan Williams. The baritone received his first musical training with the St. Georgs {…}

Jan 21, 2025

Jonas Kaufmann Clarifies Why He is Singing the Prologue to ‘Pagliacci’

Jonas Kaufmann is opening up about why he is singing the prologue to “Pagliacci,” usually sung by a baritone. The tenor took to social media, “I have no plans for now to start singing baritone roles for now. This prologue is for a baritenor.” He added that Canio’s tessitura is lower and it is not a big stretch. He also {…}

Jan 21, 2025

Opéra National de Paris 2024-25 Review: The Cunning Little Vixen

(Photo: Vincent Pontet) Certainly a hidden gem of the mainstream operatic repertoire, Leoš Janáček’s “The Cunning Little Vixen” is one of the most lovable pieces of musical theater ever composed. Its lyrical music, melancholic charm, and even lack of dialogue make this opera hard to resist. Paris Opera’s revival of the work has all the elements needed to succeed: Nicky {…}

Jan 21, 2025

Estonian National Opera 2024-25 Review: Carmen

(Photo: Siim Vahur) It would be unrealistic to expect a new production of Bizet’s masterpiece to reveal anything that has not already been presented many times before. The best one can reasonably hope for would be a tweak in emphasis that draws attention to elements that are sometimes underplayed. Pierre-Emmanuel Rousseau took exactly this approach for his production for Estonian {…}